WE WON!

Holy shit! We won! My squad won 1st place on this year's annual Grand Prix Marching Band! Holy cow! I had never actually expect such amazing thing to end my December, but jeez, we won! This'd be the cherry top of my beautiful 2010 December cake! We won we won we won we won we won we won, woo hooooooo!

Beside the title of "Band of the Year 2010" (amazing, huh!), we also won Best Music, Best General Effect, Best Visual, Best Field Commander, Best Field Percussion, 2nd place Colorguard, & 3rd place Front Ensemble. Awesome, awesome, awesome! That was one awwwwwesome night! My first year joining this squad, it had been super duper amazing :) That night was the perfect end to wrap my memory of 2010. AWESOOOOOME!

Walk A Mile With My Flag

We, colorguards, are spending 15 to 20 hours a week marching up & down a 50 by 70 foot area spinning a 3 1/2 pound rifle or a 5 1/2 foot flag. It's our free time to strive for perfection & hear; "That's wrong! Pay attention! Try harder!" over and over. Sometimes we march with blisters on our feet, splints on our fingers, even when we're sick or when every muscle in our body aches. It means willing to try again even though we have just suffered a defeat; tears were streaming down our face & our heart was breaking. Then the show day come. For five or six minutes, every ounce of our strength & concentration are dedicated to making our family, friends, school, and town proud of our competitive unit. The demanding, endless hours of practice have been a prelude to this moment. A prelude to show that color guard is something much much more than work & intense competition.

Colorguard is Science:

It is exact, specific and it demands precise execution. A designer's drill is a chart; a graph which indicates x and y coordinates for constantly changing geometric shapes and forms in both time and space. Our equipment and props are always pushing the laws of physics with force and speed, action and reaction. All of this with an incredible control of time.

Colorguard is Mathematical:

It is rhythmically and metrically based on the subdivision of time into fractions which must be done instantaneously. We have angles and degrees, both acute and obtuse, sequences, ranges, and hypotenuse.

Colorguard is a Language:

It is a visual picture alive with message and meaning. We use interpretive phases, sentences, and words many times with music which creates a most complete and universal language, to be recorded for others to see, feel, and understand. It is a language which is recited and shared many times both near and far.

Colorguard is History:

Colorguard can be influenced by the environment and times of it's creation, or it can reflect the past as well as the future. It can send us to a far away country or bring us closer to home. We are rich in our heritage and have forefathers as well.

Colorguard is a Physical:

It requires fantastic coordination of fingers, hands, arms, feet and legs; in addition to extraordinary control of the back stomach and torso; all of which are called to respond instantly to the sound the ear hears and the sight of the eye see. Colorguard surrounds around endurance, ability, strength, and balance.

Colorguard is a Sport:

A game which we play with others in which we share and we shine. Competing with ourselves to perform better each time.

It allows us to learn more on our inside on confidence and fear, self-esteem and self-image; as we get better on the outside with performances, people, expressing our feelings, and sharing our dreams. It is a chance to realize our attitude is what makes us or breaks us, not anyone or anything else. It is a kind of mind set with an increase awareness which challenges us to realize the potential in our selves.

Colorguard is Performing Arts:

It is a show which can be entertaining and enlightening! With directing, acting, producing, managing, and touring. Colors, fashion, flair, excitement, piazz, sophistication, and subtlety. Always realizing the traid of performance; audience, performer, designer.

Colorguard is Educational:

It allows a human being to learn how to take all of these things; some dry and technically boring, some difficulty and challenging; and use them to create EMOTION! The one thing that our world needs.

If ya haven't noticed from my older posts yet, well, I join a marching band & I'm in the colorguard section. Yes, I do spend 20 hours for practice on normal weeks, & 40 on holidays. And yes, I have lots of blisters & scars & injuries, so much I practically lost count.

And yes, I just realized how proud & serious I am in this marching band/color guard thingy since:

1. Weekends are forever lost to practice

2. I see my band more often than my family

3. The gym/hockey/football field is my second home

4. Leggings & tank tops has become a permanent part of my closet

5. My nails have never extended beyond my finger tips

6. I have 4 tan lines: tees, gloves, shorts, & socks

7. I have a permanent rifle bruise on my left & right thumbs

8. I know exactly what a jell-o arms & legs feel like

9. Every song becomes a possible flag routine; I start to count songs to beats of 6 or 8

10. I push myself to try dangerous routines; sometimes I suspect I've put life as my second priority

11. I begin to conclude that "one more time" never really means one more time. It usually means 5-10 more

12. I have 2 rifles & sabres. One for practice at the practice venue & one for practice at home

13. I look forward to getting new gloves

14. I know if I break a bone I'd still insist that I can march (even if on crutches)

15. I have more bruises, scars, and injuries than a military solider

16. My non-band friends know that I'm almost never available to go out

17. The term democracy is not in my vocabulary

18. Life? What's that?

There you have it

Picture perfect, memories scattered all around the floor. Reaching for the phone, cause I cant fight it anymore. And i wonder if I ever cross your mind for me it happens all the time. Its a quarter after one I'm all alone and I need you now. Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now, and I don't know how I can do without. I just need you now. Cant stop looking at the door, wishing you'd come sweeping in the way you did before. And I wonder if I ever cross your mind, for me it happens all the time. Yes I'd rather hurt than feel nothing at all.

Our pretty-messed-up earth needs help

Firdaus Ali. Ever heard of him?

Well, actually, he's one of my professeur at campus. I attend his Environmental Science class this semester. And fyi, I've always heard that he's someone famous, well, sorta like that, but i never actually know what is that he's famous for exactly (I made a plan to deep-google him ever since). His class, enough said, is somehow motivational and inspiring. He gives us enough detail on how messed up our environmental really is. Well, we surely know it really is pretty messed up, right? But he gives solutions with a rooting explanation. I don't know whether it's just me or not, but i try to decrease the use of plastic bag after he told our class that a single plastic bag needs hundreds of years to decomposed.

Scientists often use respirometry tests; the experimenters place a solid waste sample—like a newspaper, banana peel, or plastic bag—in a vessel containing microbe-rich compost, then aerate the mixture. Over the course of several days, microorganisms assimilate the sample bit by bit and produce carbon dioxide; the resultant CO₂ level serves as an indicator of degradation. Respirometry tests work perfectly for newspapers and banana peels. (Newspapers take two to five months to biodegrade in a compost heap; banana peels take several days.) But when scientists test generic plastic bags, nothing happens—there's no CO₂ production and no decomposition. Why? The most common type of plastic shopping bag—the kind you get at supermarkets—is made of polyethylene, a man-made polymer that microorganisms don't recognize as food.

I admit, it's a common knowledge, but he asked us to imagine. That was for a single plastic bag. How many plastic bags scattered unused here on earth? In average, we use one per days, whether it's for trashbag or anything else. Well, the calculations are gonna get huge if I continue. And that was for plastic bags alone. What about other "trashes" we produce in everyday life? Plastic packages, cans, cardboards, banana peels, styrofoam, straws, UNCOUNTABLE.
That's what we have inside this tiny earth. Ever heard of space junk? IMAGINE. Here's a pic to help.

You see, that's our junk in Space. Just great, right? All scattered unused and aimless waiting to lose its gravity and fall back down to Earth. And THAT would really be a day to wait. So you see, if you haven't realized it yet, our life all are threatened here.

This came to a point, which is, do something. Something. Anything. To lower the impact of our previous mistakes ignoring the environment. Our pretty-messed-up earth needs help.
So, I chose to start with plastic bags. Have you ever think about how much we had overused them and how little we actually need them? So, I never really ask for plastic bags when shopping unless I really need one. I dont throw any plastic bags. I just keep it; it might get handy sometimes. Just, DONT throw it. It's not much, well it might as well have invisible impact on this earth, but at least I try. Well, if you all brains go try invent some magic decomposers, or a new bioorganism that could eat all those waste, or duh, something; if you're someone with influence go try talking to the developing world to stop trashing earth with smokes and industrial wastes; and if you have superpowers, would you please kindly go wipe all those space junk off? But if you're on my shoes too, dear readers, just go start with plastic bags.
Anyway I finally googled Firdaus Ali and here's what i got:

Firdaus Ali: What can't he do?
Alexandra Hansen, Contributor, Jakarta|Tue, 02/09/2010 11:56 AM|People JP/Alexandra Hansen
Environmental pioneer, youth anti-drugs campaigner, conduit of technology to Indonesia, and family man, is there anything lecturer Firdaus Ali can’t do?
He pulls out his mobile phone and points to a photograph of the rear of a red car on a busy highway. “So I was driving along,” he says. “And suddenly I see a water bottle and some rambutan skins flying out of the window of this car. I follow it, trying to make the driver pull over, to tell him off and let him know he should be careful with his rubbish. He shouldn’t just throw it out like that.”
So what did the driver say?
“He got very angry with me, I think. He told me to mind my own business. But I told him that when his rubbish litters our streets and our waterways, it is my business.”
And for Ali, it really is his business. Lecturer in environmental engineering at the University of Indonesia, Ali has dedicated his life to teaching Indonesia’s youth about preserving Indonesia’s precious environment.
“I tell my students this same story, and I tell them that whenever they want to throw their rubbish on the ground, they should think about me, and think again.”
Is ambushing littering drivers something Ali does often?
“Yeah, probably about once a week,” he says.
He has taught environmental, civil and electrical engineering at a tertiary level for 21 years. He obtained his masters and PhD in the US, and says he learnt a lot about the environment there.
“It makes you realize that God gave us an opportunity to live peacefully, to co-exist with our environment, people [in the US] don’t throw their rubbish on the ground or in the rivers. The water and air is not polluted like here.”
He adds that if anything, Indonesians should be respectful of the environment because Indonesia is one of the richest sources of rainforests and natural beauty in the world. It is very important that we instill in the youth of Indonesia a respect for nature and knowledge of how to treat the environment, he says, so as to repair the damage that past generations have done to their habitat.
Teaching is his true passion, as he hopes he — and others like him —can communicate this message to the youth to bring about a significant behavioral change in Indonesia. “People tell me it cannot be done. People say it is too late, they cannot change. But I say; ‘better late than never’, and I truly believe we can change, and we will change. It might take a while, but it will definitely happen.”
Indonesians have to learn from natural disasters caused by environmental problems, Ali goes on.
Problems that include air and water pollution, as well as the rapid destruction of rainforests. “The environment will not support this behavior for much longer.”
Since growing up in Sumatra in the 60s, Ali has had a close connection to nature. He recalls spending many days in the forests there, and in his parent’s rice paddies. “Since my childhood, I’ve wanted to protect the environment, preserve the water and keep everything green.” His childhood passion turned into a more practical, scientific passion when he decided to study environmental engineering at university in Bandung. “My parents always expected me to get a tertiary education, and I expect that of my children also. Without an education, you really have no opportunity in life, it’s very important.” Perhaps it was this ideology that prompted Ali’s relationship with Microsoft. He set up a proposal whereby old, still functioning, computers in the US would be sent to Indonesia so Indonesian students could use them. He formed an alliance with Microsoft to install software on the computers, to bring technology, and the world, to the fingertips of young Indonesians. Because Ali believes technology is very important for the development of young students, he focuses on teaching his students multimedia skills. “I have made my course completely multimedia, which is good for the student’s technology skills, but we also don’t use any paper, except for exams. “When I first tried to implement all soft-copy materials, it was so difficult. Other teachers would ask ‘What are you doing? Are you trying to create something funky?’, but it works very well, and teaches the students a good lesson.”
Another issue close to Ali’s heart is the important issue of youth and drugs. He installed all multimedia systems with anti-drug messages, so children studying information technology also learned a valuable life lesson. “The most frequent age group involved with drugs is aged eight to 35. If we spread the message early, they will hopefully be deterred from ruining their lives with drugs.”
He also works for the Jakarta Water Supply Regulatory Body, which aims to supervise water corporations and strives to maintain a balance between good service and affordable water prices.
As part of this position, he has initiated plans for a new water treatment plant to improve water quality in Jakarta and service more people with clean water.
Between his two jobs, and many passions, Ali says the weekends are all about family. He and his wife and children regularly frequent bookshops or libraries and enjoy eating out at restaurants. “Since living in the US, my daughter has developed a love for Western food,” he says.
Ali hopes his children, along with his students, and the youth of Indonesia will continue to foster his love for the environment and bring about a behavioral change to save the planet.

Source: Jakarta Post
Read his upcoming project HERE

Daddy'd little girl

You’re the end of the rainbow, my pot of gold. You're daddy's little girl, to have and hold. A precious gem is what you are; You're mommy's bright and shining star. You’re the spirit of Christmas, the star on our tree. You’re the Easter Bunny to Mommy and me. You’re sugar, you're spice, and you're everything nice. And You’re Daddy’s Little Girl. You’re a treasure I cherish, all sparkling and bright. You were touched by Holy and beautiful light; Like the angels who sing, a heavenly thing; And you’re Daddy’s Little Girl ♥

Michael Buble-Daddy's Little Girl
I'm so very much in love with this song. Beautiful lyrics and melodies ♥♫ Me lovey!

I'm the great green elephant. Really?

Once Elephants start something, they see it through to the end. Elephants always want to apply themselves to something. Elephants like to work inconspicuously. Elephants are worriers, despite appearances to the contrary. Elephants don't listen to what others say. Elephants are scariest when they lose control. Elephants can say some harsh things. Elephants yield to power. Elephants are good consensus builders. Elephants will go ahead and press the button.

You are Green Elephant, who is not pretentious and is a straightforward type of woman. People rely on you a lot. You tend to lack feminine flexibility and sensitivity, but because you don't depend on men, you can go about your business calmly and without being too emotional. You will not compromise, and your objective insight of things makes you look cruel and not having a charm. But you are not a cruel person at all. You like having your freedom, and just don't want to be restricted. You are not a shy person. You will have lots of relationship with men, and you know what type you like. You work hard and you learn hard. You have flexibility to a certain extent, and will not be discouraged so easily. Nevertheless, you take time in finding about yourself. You love peace, and will not get into conflict. You have perseverance, so if you get really angry, conflict will be protracted. Your life is steady and you are an economic person. You will not go buying things on impulse. Although you are an active person, you tend to lack reading people's feelings, so be careful not to become isolated. You are a very straightforward person, and can act quickly. But if you be too cautious, you tend not to be able to express your loving feelings. Nevertheless, you are good at looking after others, and have lots of chance for romance. After marriage, you will be good wife and a mother.

This Is Me? Sort of, in some way. I guess

GET YOURS HERE

Tall, Taller, TALLEST

Well FYI, I'm majoring in Civil Engineering. Building things is likely the main idea of my study. Houses, dams, bridges, roads, canals. Buildings.
Anyway, you surely know that since the dawn of history man has been trying to build the 'tallest building', 'tallest tower' or 'tallest structure' in the world. There seems to be much prestige in being home to the worlds tallest. So much in fact that this is a major issue on the political agenda of many countries. Many towers claim the title, and many cities quarrel about who is the winner.

During the first 90 years of this century, the USA dominated the race for the title of the tallest building in the world, and constructed a range of famous buildings that, sometimes only for a few months, and sometimes for many years, were widely recognized as being the 'tallest building' in the world. In 1974 Chicago's Sears Tower was completed, and generally seen as the 'tallest building' in the world. Sears held on to that title for over 20 years. But since the ninetees the USA gets some stiff competition from Asia. In 1996 this resulted in the completion of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. From that moment on a sort of media clash was unleashed. All over the world people debated about the question wich one was the tallest; Sears or Petronas. Now the answer to this question seems so easy. Just measure both buildings from bottom to top, and the tallest one gets the title. Question answered, case closed, no more debate needed? Forget it! As usual, life is not that simple. One could consider how to measure these buildings. For example, do we take in account spires and antennas? To end this discussion, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat made a compromise. They defined 4 categories for measuring tall buildings;

- Height to the structural or architectural top.
- Height to the highest occupied floor.
- Height to the top of the roof.
- Height to the top of antenna.
Below are the list of 10 tallest building in the world

1) Burj Khalifa Tower, Dubai, UAE

Also Known As: Burj Dubai or Dubai Tower
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Developer: Emaar Properties
Architect: Adrian Smith, Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill (SOM)
Year: Officially opened January 4, 2010
Height: 828 meters / 2,717 feet (including the spire)
Stories: 162

Originally named Burj Dubai (or Dubai Tower), the soaring skyscraper is now called Burj Khalifa, after Khalifa Bin Zayed, the president of the United Arab Emirates.
Dubai has been a showplace for innovative buildings, and the Burj Khalifa shatters world records for building height. The skyscraper is much taller than Taiwan's Taipei 101, which rises 508 metres (1,667 feet). During a time of economic slowdown, the Burj Khalifa has become an icon for wealth and progress in Dubai. No expense was spared for the building's opening ceremonies on January 4, 2010. Many visitors have been writing about Dubai. Some of the reports are glowing, and others are very critical.
The design of Burj Khalifa is derived from patterning systems (clarification needed) embodied in Islamic architecture. The design architect Adrian Smith has said the triple-lobed footprint of the building was inspired by the flower Hymenocallis. The tower is composed of three elements arranged around a central core. As the tower rises from the flat desert base, setbacks occur at each element in an upward spiralling pattern, decreasing the cross section of the tower as it reaches toward the sky. There are 27 terraces in Burj Khalifa. At the top, the central core emerges and is sculpted to form a finishing spire. A Y-shaped floor plan maximizes views of the Persian Gulf. Viewed from above or from the base, the form also evokes the onion domes of Islamic architecture. During the design process, engineers rotated the building 120 degrees from its original layout to reduce stress from prevailing winds. At its tallest point, the tower sways a total of 1.5 m (4.9 ft).
The spire of Burj Khalifa is composed of more than 4,000 tonnes of structural steel. The central pinnacle pipe weighing 350 tonnes was constructed from inside the building and jacked to its full height of 143 metres using a strand jack system. The spire houses plant and facilitates for communications equipment.
More than 1,000 pieces of art will adorn the interiors of Burj Khalifa, while the residential lobby of Burj Khalifa will have the artwork of 196 bronze and brass alloy cymbals representing the 196 countries of the world. The visitors in this lobby will be able to hear a distinct timbre as the cymbals, plated with 18-carat gold, are struck by dripping water, intended to mimic the sound of water falling on leaves.
The exterior cladding of Burj Khalifa consists of 142,000 m2 (1,528,000 sq ft) of reflective glazing, and aluminium and textured stainless steel spandrel panels with vertical tubular fins. The cladding system is designed to withstand Dubai's extreme summer temperatures. Additionally, at its projected height the exterior temperature at the top of the building will be 6 °C (11 °F) cooler than at its base.

Over 26,000 glass panels were used in the exterior cladding of Burj Khalifa. Over 300 cladding specialists from China were brought in for the cladding work on the tower. The hotel interior will be decorated by Giorgio Armani. An Armani Hotel, the first of four by Armani, will occupy 15 of the lower 39 floors. Floors through to 108 will have 900 private residential apartments (which, according to the developer, sold out within eight hours of being on the market). An outdoor zero-entry swimming pool will be located on the 76th floor of the tower. Corporate offices and suites will fill most of the remaining floors, except for a 123rd floor lobby and 124th floor (about 440 m (1,440 ft)) indoor and outdoor observation deck. Burj Khalifa is expected to hold up to 25,000 people at any one time. A total of 57 elevators and 8 escalators are installed, the fastest rising and descending at up to 10 m/s (33 ft/s). Engineers had considered installing the world's first triple-deck elevators, but the final design calls for double-deck elevators.

Picture taken from the Burj Dubai tower

Current records
1. Tallest skyscraper to top of spire: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously Taipei 101 – 509.2 m (1,671 ft))
2. Tallest structure ever built: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously Warsaw radio mast – 646.38 m (2,121 ft))
3. Tallest extant structure: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously KVLY-TV mast – 628.8 m (2,063 ft))
4. Tallest freestanding structure: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously CN Tower – 553.3 m (1,815 ft))
5. Building with most floors: 160 (previously both 1 and 2 World Trade Center – 110)
6. World's highest elevator installation
7. World's fastest elevators at speed of 64 km/h (40 mph) or 18 m/s (59 ft/s) (previously Taipei 101 – 16.83 m/s)
8. Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 606 m (1,988 ft) (previously Taipei 101 – 449.2 m (1,474 ft))
9. Highest vertical concrete pumping (for any construction): 606 m (1,988 ft) (previously Riva del Garda Hydroelectric Power Plant – 532 m (1,745 ft))
10. The first world's tallest structure in history to include residential space
11. Highest outdoor observation deck in the world
12. World's highest mosque (located on the 158th floor)
13. Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world
14. Tallest service elevator in the world
15. World's highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade, at a height of 512 m (1,680 ft)

2) Taipei 101 Tower, Taipei, Taiwan

Vital Statistics: With a massive 60-foot spire inspired by Twaiwan's native bamboo plant, Taipei 101 Tower is one of the tallest buildings in the world. At 508 meters (1,667 feet) high, the tower and its spire outrank the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Taipei Tower has 198,347 m2 (2,336,000 sq. ft.) of office space, 77,033 m2 (796,000 sq. ft.) of retail space, and 83,000 m2 (893,000 sq. ft.) of parking space for more than 1,800 vehicles.
Earthquake Safety: Designing a building this large presented unique challenges because Taiwan is subject to typhoons and earthquakes. To counter movement, a tuned mass damper system has been incorporated into the structure. The 800-metric ton (1,764,000 lbs.), spherical steel mass is located on level 88 and will be visible from the restaurant and observation decks. The system transfers the energy from the building to the swinging sphere, providing a stabilizing force.
Special Design Features: The design of Taipei 101 borrows heavily from Chinese culture. Both the building’s interior and exterior incorporate the Chinese pagoda form and the shape of bamboo flowers. The lucky number eight, which means blooming or success, is represented by the eight clearly delineated exterior sections of the building.
Observation Decks: Located on floors 89 and 91, the observation decks include the highest restaurant in Taiwan. Two high-speed elevators reach a maximum speed of 1,010 meters/minute (55 ft./second) when traveling to the 89th floor.

3) Shanghai World Financial Center, China

The Shanghai World Financial Center is a supertall skyscraper under construction in Shanghai, China. It is a mixed use skyscraper which will consist of office spaces, hotel rooms, conference rooms, observation decks and shops on the ground floors. The hotel component will open with 175 rooms and suites in mid-2008 as the Park Hyatt Shanghai. On September 14, 2007 the skyscraper was topped out[1] at 492 metres (1,614 ft) and became the tallest structure on the Chinese mainland, as well as the world's second tallest skyscraper (not counting buildings that have not topped out).
The most distinctive feature in the design of the building is an aperture at the peak. The aperture originally was meant to be a circular moon gate, but the intended design began facing protests from Chinese, including the mayor of Shanghai, who considered it too similar to the rising sun design of the Japanese flag. Pedersen then suggested that a bridge be placed at the bottom of the aperture to make it less circular.[2] On 18 October 2005, KPF submitted an alternative design to Mori Building and a trapezoidal hole replaced the circle at the top of the tower, which in addition to changing the controversial design, will also be cheaper and easier to implement according to the architects.[3] An observation deck on the 100th floor is also now part of the final design.
The skyscraper's roof height has been set at 492 m (1,614 feet), and when completed in early 2008 is expected to temporarily have the highest roof in the world. Before construction resumed on the roof, tower height was scheduled to be 510m so the building would hold the title of the worlds tallest building (structural top) over the Taipei 101, but a height limit was imposed, allowing the roof to reach a maximum height of 492m. Architect William Pedersen and developer Minoru Mori have resisted suggestions to add a spire that would surpass that of Taipei 101 and perhaps the Freedom Tower, calling the Shanghai WFC a "broad-shouldered building". Even so, its roof height will be the third highest in the world after the Burj Dubai complex and Chicago Spire. Upon completion the SWFC will boast a gross floor area of more than 377,300m² and feature 31 elevators and 33 escalators.

4) Petronas Towers 1 & 2, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Vital Statistics :Due to a lack of steel and the huge cost of importing steel, the towers were constructed on a cheaper radical design of super high strength reinforced concrete together with a steel and glass facade.
Buildings were built on the world's deepest foundations. The 120-meter foundations were built by Bachy Soletanche, and required massive amounts of concrete. Supported by 23-by-23-metre concrete cores and an outer ring of widely-spaced super columns, the towers use a sophisticated structural system that accommodates its slender profile and provides from 1300 to 2000 square metres of column-free office space per floor.
The towers feature a skybridge (constructed by Kukdong Engineering & Construction) between the two towers on 41st and 42nd floors. The bridge is 170 m high and 58 m long. The advanced elevator system of the towers have a total of 78 elevators and all main elevators are double-decker with the lower deck of the elevator taking you to odd numbered floors and upper deck taking you to the even numbered floors. Below the twin towers is Suria KLCC, a popular shopping mall, and Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, the home of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Outside the building is a park with jogging and walking paths, a fountain with incorporated light show, wading pools, and a children's playground.
Earthquake Safety :Special Design Features : Building is designed to resemble motifs found in Islamic art, a reflection of Malaysia's Muslim religion.

5) Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), Chicago

Vital Statistics : The Sears Tower which is considered as one of the finest locations for business in Chicago,is a multi-tenant office building with more than 100 different companies doing business there, including major law firms, insurance companies and financial services firms. It has a rentable floor area of 418,064 sq. m (353,961 sq. m) and a total of 104 elevators which includes 16 double-decker elevators.
Special Design Features :The design for the Sears Tower incorporates nine steel-unit square tubes in a 3 tube by 3 tube arrangement, with each tube having the footprint of 75 feet by 75 feet. The design allows future growth of extra height to the tower if wanted or needed.

6) Jin Mao Building, Shanghai

Earthquake Safety : The building employs an advanced structural engineering system which fortifies it against typhoon winds of up to 200 km/h (with the top swaying by a maximum of 75cm) and earthquakes of up to 7 on the Richter scale. The steel shafts have shear joints that act as shock absorbers to cushion the lateral forces imposed by winds and quakes, and the swimming pool on the 57th floor is said to act as a passive damper.
Special Design Features :Its postmodern form, whose complexity rises as it ascends, draws on traditional Chinese architecture such as the tiered pagoda, gently stepping back to create a rhythmic pattern as it rises. Like the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, the building's proportions revolve around the number 8, associated with prosperity in Chinese culture. The 88 floors (93 if the spire floors are counted) are divided into 16 segments, each of which is 1/8th shorter than the 16-story base. The tower is built around an octagon-shaped concrete shear wall core surrounded by 8 exterior composite supercolumns and 8 exterior steel columns. Three sets of 8 two-story high outrigger trusses connect the columns to the core at six of the floors to provide additional support.
Observation Decks: The 88th floor houses the Skywalk, a 1,520m² indoor observation deck with a capacity of 1,000+ people.

7) Two International Finance Centre (IFC), Hong Kong

This is a prominent landmark on Hong Kong Island and it consists of two skyscrapers. One International Finance Centre is 210 m tall, has 38 storeys and four trading floors, 18 high speed passenger lifts in 4 zones, and comprises 784,000 square feet (72,850 m²). The building currently accommodates approximately 5,000 people.
Two International Finance Centre is 415m tall, has 88 storeys and designed to accomodate financial firms equipped with advanced telecommunications and nearly column free floor plans. The building expects to accomodate up to 15,000 people.

8) CITIC Plaza, China International Trust, Guanzhou
9) Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen, China

10) Empire State Building, New York

Vital Statistics: The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in New York, NY. It stood as the world's tallest building for more than forty years, from its completion in 1931 until the construction of the World Trade Center North Tower in 1972, and is now once again the tallest building in New York after the destruction of the World Trade Center in the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The Empire State Building rises to 381 m (1,250 feet) at the 102nd floor, and its full structural height (including broadcast antenna) reaches 443 m (1,453 ft and 8 9/16th in). The building has 85 stories of commercial and office space (200,465 m²/ 2,158,000 sq. ft.) The building weighs approximately 330,000 Mg (370,000 tons).
It has a total floor area of approximately 254,000 m² (2,768,591 sq. ft.). The base of the Empire State Building is about 0.8 ha (2 acres), and the lobby is five stories tall. The building houses 1,000 businesses, and has its own zip code. Today, the Empire State Building has 73 elevators in all, including service elevators.
Observation Decks: The 86th floor observation deck offers impressive 360-degree views of the city. There is a second observation deck on the 102nd floor that is open to the public which are one of the most popular observatories in the world.